Sunderland, against ‘magpie’ pride

Winter is very hard Newcastle. A long string of injuries and setbacks make the season difficult for the Magpies. Dark clouds began to gather when his famous signing from Milan, the Italian Sandro Tonali, was sentenced to 10 months for breaching the sports betting code. From that moment, as if affected by a strong and unexpected moral blow, the course of the team’s season Eddie Howe is disappointing. He Newcastle He could not straighten himself, tired from so many games, after a short stay in the Champions League. And now, after losing seven of their last eight games, they have yet another giant wave to surf: a fierce FA Cup rivalry match, with their greatest enemy from the north-east of England, Sunderland , which plays in the Championship, the English second division.

Defending the pride of the ‘magpies’ in the cauldron of the Stadium of Light will require all the strength possible, when they are severely weakened by numerous casualties and visible mental problems. A short trip nearby SunderlandEditOnly 19 kilometers from Newcastle, was not favorable for Eddie Howe’s beaten team, but a draw like that and regained the heated ‘Tyne & Wear derby’, one of the fiercest rivalries in the United Kingdom, will be experienced again tomorrow night in Sunderland. The two clubs have not faced each other since March 1-1, 2016, and the Magpies have not won since 2011. Despite the strong impact on the atmosphere of the match, Howe is not a coach who selects laments: “You have to create your own luck. It doesn’t help to feel negative emotions or feel sorry for yourself.”

After the latest defeats and after leaving Anfield, lost (4-2), which cast the first shadow of doubt on the project of the Arab capital in Saint Jame’s Park, for Newcastle, the match in SunderlandEdit It is more than revalidation. This confrontation in the third round of the FA Cup increases the pressure especially for Howe, who assumes that all eyes are now focused on his ability to produce a reaction in the moment that is most demanded of him: ” I always see the light at the end of the tunnel – he reasoned – as long as the players give me everything they have, because I know we have the quality. But we have a lot of quality players who are not here today.

Terrible January

The calendar of Newcastle In the month of January it will require maximum demand from the ‘magpies’. The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund’s football project is trembling at a crucial moment: its next three games seem as treacherous as the trip to Anfield. Tomorrow, Saturday, will be a very difficult regional battle with Sunderland, and then there will be two Premier League matches, each more difficult, against Manchester City (at Saint James’s Park) and against Aston Villa, at Villa Park in Birmingham. A panorama that causes concern and does not hide concern about a hypothetical elimination tomorrow of its fiercest rival, which will undoubtedly open a bad environment for the future.

Injuries alone do not explain the decline in performance Newcastle. Last year they reached fourth place in the Premier League and qualified for the Champions League, they did it with a high pressure, very aggressive and physically demanding style, which this season, with more against, has caused damage. damage mode. Key players like captain Tripier or Brazilian Bruno Guimaraes look unknown. Their results were dismal and they lost five consecutive league games away from Saint James’s Park, for the first time in the Eddie Howe.

A dedicated and careful technician

Neither in victories nor in defeats does Howe’s appearance and confidence change, however, a coach who willingly goes unnoticed at Newcastle and prefers to isolate himself from comments, without much of a social life. His disconnect is on long walks with his boxer dog ‘Willis’ in the beautiful Northumberland countryside. Howe was so devoted to his work that he deliberately adopted a solitary lifestyle. His dedication and the hours he spends working at Darsley Park surpass that of Spaniard Rafael Benítez, who is considered the most workaholic of his predecessors. The Amersham coach will be out on a number of reinforcements today in the winter market, but the club is limited by financial fair play regulations which restrict the Saudi capital’s room for manoeuvre.

It is a bad time for him now, almost eight years later, to face the Tyne & Wear derby, in one of the most passionate rivalries in the United Kingdom, which transcends sports. There is a history of violent clashes between the two fans, so English police have ordered Newcastle fans to travel on official buses from St James’ Park, and not on public transport, under strict police control . Sunderland, who are sixth in the Championship, are now fighting to compete in the playoffs for promotion to the Premier, just two seasons after leaving League One. The ‘Black Cats’ have gone on a three-game unbeaten run at their Stadium of Light They. have won eight of their 13 league games. Tomorrow they will also look to topple the hated and wealthy ‘magpies’, in what is, without doubt, their most important and celebrated victory.